Mobile Tech & Cell Phones

Look, I’m posting this here in the hopes that things might actually improve in the Mobile Tech subforum.
The subforum technically works—threads get opened, new members show up every day, and plenty of old-timers are helping out the newbies...
But man, there is just so much useless noise. You've got people posting junk like "my phone is better than yours" without any actual proof, spam everywhere (shady ads about making money via mobile, bad Google Translate jobs...), and threads that just don't belong together...
Basically, the forum is active, but it isn't functional.
There are a ton of duplicate threads—and I mean a *ton*, some stuff shows up four or five times—plus useful discussions are scattered all over the wrong subforums (like being buried in the Nokia or Sony Ericsson sections, etc.).

I’ve got nothing against the moderators personally. When I sent them a PM, they were quick to reply. It just feels like they aren't staying on top of the subforum enough.
Take this for instance— this thread about making money online (using a phone, but whatever) has been sitting there for 4 or 5 days now. I'm sure at least two or three members reported it. And I know in the rules it says that kind of stuff is supposed to be strictly penalized...
So, a lot of trash just piles up.
I get it, they’re doing this for free. They have lives, jobs, vacations, and their own stuff going on, but maybe they should find someone else to help out or step in when they can't.

Almost every single thread asking for buying advice starts with the first few posts begging the OP to explain what they actually want or where they're shopping. You can't suggest anything without those details. Then, a few phones get suggested. Some random guy jumps in just to say a certain model is great, then someone else chimes in saying they have a third one that sucks (again, zero arguments or explanations provided), and the buyer might actually listen to them. So then they open a whole new thread in that specific brand's subforum to talk about it (even though there's probably already a thread for experiences with that phone). Then they buy it, come back to the original suggestion thread, and start asking more questions about it (which belongs in a different thread anyway). Then a tenth person shows up asking for advice on two totally different phones, even though the title only lists the first two...
And just like that, you've got 20 mostly useless posts, at least two different threads, and maybe one helpful comment that gets lost in the shuffle, forcing people to open yet *another* thread just so they can actually find that one good piece of info.

Just look at this iPhone thread (one example of many, since everything is getting mixed up again).
Every two or three pages, the same couple of questions pop up. Usually, someone answers them, but even if you point someone toward the right thread or the specific page where the answer is, two posts later, someone asks the exact same thing again.

Anyway, I won't ramble on—well, clearly I am. 😛
I think we need to open a few more subforums for the brands that are blowing up right now, and move or delete a bunch of the old threads.
It would also be helpful if the rules were enforced a bit more strictly, or if some rules were updated or added. Since it's not working otherwise, maybe we need to "force" users to read at least the basic FAQ topics before they start opening their own threads.

I know some people struggle to navigate the site, but that shouldn't mean we just lower the standards for everyone.
If anyone can read, they should be able to contribute to making this subforum better.
There really are a lot of new members who have started helping others or posting useful stuff after they got some help themselves—and honestly, that's awesome. But I think it's better to have a high-quality subforum than one overflowing with endless posts and threads where half of it is total garbage.

I don't want this to sound like some big revolution or whatever. You can see most of my posts are in that subforum, and I'll probably still be hanging out there, but I just think it's a shame to let a subforum with so much potential and so many great members get choked out by stupidity.

Alright, if I missed anything—please, jump in and let me know. 🙂
If any of the mods or admins actually decide to take this seriously, I can dive deeper into my suggestions (and maybe throw a few more your way) 😉

I have some serious grievances regarding the moderation on the aforementioned PDF. It feels like most infractions aren't being addressed at all, even after they've been reported; for instance, take this thread which really warrants a permanent ban, —it's been sitting there active for five whole days now. The subforum rules are being completely ignored; despite having a dedicated section for the iPhone (and honestly, that goes for the other brands too), you still see iPhone discussions cluttering up the "Other Mobile Phones" section. Furthermore, if you look at the PDF, there's blatant verbal abuse going on that hasn't been sanctioned, such as here:

The entire PDF is a mess and incredibly difficult to navigate. There's endless repetition of the same topics, especially regarding LG and HTC; it would be much fairer if they were given their own dedicated sections instead of being dragged through "Other Mobile Phones" and "PALM & co."
Even the rules concerning thread titles aren't being followed, leading to things like and so on.

Are these moderators actually doing anything at all? I haven't seen some of them on that PDF in over a month, even though they're still active on the main Forum.

It’s honestly pretty baffling that after two full days and scrolling through over a hundred different threads, absolutely nothing has changed. Not a single person has stepped up to address this, and it feels like we're just watching things fall apart. Here is yet another glaring example of the total lack of organization , along with the exact same post being cross-posted in a completely different thread,

Still nothing.🤷
Just a bunch of random ads, threads with messed up titles, posts in the wrong subforums...
And don't even get me started on the iPhone subforum...

I’ve noticed the same thing—that particular sub-forum is a complete mess, despite having a decent amount of daily traffic if my observations are anything to go by. I actually reached out to the administration with some suggestions to clean things up, but they shot me down...

I’m really hoping things turn around soon, because looking at the absolute chaos currently unfolding over there, I have zero desire to get involved. It’s a shame, honestly, because I’d love to step up and help out given that this is my area of expertise, but there's nothing to be done right now. So, we wait and see if they decide to fix it... 🙂

honestly, most things just come down to whether or not you've got people willing to actually sit down and write something meaningful somewhere
🙂

MTT is a total mess right now. We just don't have enough moderators. I actually suggested a fellow forum member for the role a while back, but my post just got swallowed up in all the chatter over in the Mod section.

The truth is, we really need at least one more moderator since we cover everything from Alcatel to iPhone. On other sites, they have massive teams ranging from supermods to huge moderation crews, but here on this forum, we're dealing with what we've got.

I'm asking for your patience. Please keep reporting issues and doing what you think is right. If anyone reaches out to me via PM, I'll get back to you.

To be honest, I've been struggling lately because my laptop died, leaving me offline for a month and a half, and then I was traveling for the last two weeks. Life just happens, you know?
My apologies to anyone who felt slighted or ignored—that wasn't the intention, but this is just the situation we're in.

The Mod team (if you can even call it that🤣) will do our best on this end, and we ask you to do your part too. I'm hopeful we can find a solution that works for everyone.
Just a heads-up: don't expect things to be as perfectly organized as a site like Cafemobil within the next 24 hours. That's physically impossible. It would take at least two days of non-stop cleaning just to fix one sub-forum.

Best regards!

hollowtrucker77 said:I checked it out—I think you guys might be exaggerating a little bit.
Man, what a mess. Someone somehow managed to double-post the exact same thing in two different spots.
🙂

It’s one thing when it happens once in a blue moon, but when it becomes a regular occurrence and you see the same topics being chewed over five times over, it starts to get pretty grating.

brighttiger5 said:MTT is honestly a bit of a circus right now. We just don't have enough moderators. I actually suggested a specific community member for the role a while back, but that post basically vanished into the endless sea of discussions in the Mod section.

The reality is that we really need at least one more moderator on hand, considering we cover everything in the mobile world, from Alcatel all the way up to the iPhone. On other major sites, there are entire hierarchies in place—everything from super-mods to massive teams of moderators—but here on this forum, we're working with what we've got.

I ask for your patience. Please, keep reporting issues; keep doing what you feel is right. Whenever someone reaches out to me via PM, I make sure to get back to them.

On a personal note, I've been dealing with some hurdles lately; my laptop gave out on me, which left me without any internet access for about a month and a half, and then I was traveling for the last two weeks. Life just gets in the way sometimes.
My apologies to anyone who felt slighted or frustrated by the current state of things, but this is just where we are right now.

The mod team (if you can call us that for now🤣) will do our best on our end, and I hope you'll do the same on yours. I'm optimistic that we'll find a solution that works for everyone.
Just to manage expectations: please don't expect things to suddenly become as organized as a major site like Cafe.mobile within the next 24 hours. That's simply physically impossible. Cleaning up a sub-forum to that level would take at least two days of non-stop work.

Best regards!

Thanks for understanding. I'm looking forward to finding a good fix, and I'm hopeful that, to everyone's relief, we'll be able to bring on another one or two moderators soon.👍

brighttiger5 said:MTT is in total disarray. We are severely lacking moderators. I actually proposed a specific community member for the role some time ago, but that suggestion simply vanished into the endless sea of debates over in the Mod section.

The reality is that we require at least one more moderator because our scope covers the entire mobile spectrum, from Alcatel all the way to the iPhone. On other major American sites, they have massive infrastructures in place, ranging from super-mods to extensive moderator teams, but here on this forum, the situation is what it is.

I ask for your patience. Please continue to report issues and do whatever you feel is right. Whenever someone reaches out to me via PM, I make sure to respond.

On a personal note, I’ve been dealing with some hardware failures—my laptop died on me, leaving me without any internet access for a month and a half—and I've spent the last two weeks traveling for work. Life happens, and obligations pile up...
My apologies to anyone who feels slighted or neglected in any way, but this is simply the current state of affairs.

The Mod team (or so it sounds beautifully🤣) will do its part at MTT, and I ask that you do yours. I am hopeful that we can find a resolution that works for everyone involved.
To be perfectly clear, do not expect the level of order found on a site like Cafemobil to manifest here within twenty-four hours, because quite frankly, it is physically impossible. Achieving that would require spending at least two full days straight cleaning up the subforums.

Best regards!

The kind of discipline and order seen on Cafemobil will never be achieved here, primarily because we are constantly flooded by new users while the existing ones remain largely inactive.

That said, it is commendable that you stepped up to address this. I previously suggested moving Motorola into its own dedicated category to account for the influx of new Android devices. It would immediately alleviate the pressure on the main sections. brighttiger5, you know better than anyone the direction Motorola has taken, and since you are active on Cafemobil, I suspect you would be the first to agree that this move would provide much-needed breathing room.

As for everything else... I wish you luck in your endeavors.

Someone mentioned that high-quality posting is the key... Well, that holds true in an organized forum. In a state of chaos, it certainly does not. Personally, I have no desire to waste my quality contributions on a subforum where disorder reigns and such effort goes entirely unnoticed. 😉

Regards.

Jonathan Morris40 said:The kind of order and discipline you see on Cafemobil is something that will likely never happen here, mainly because we're constantly seeing a flood of new users while the regulars aren't posting nearly as much.

On another note, I appreciate you stepping up to share your thoughts. My suggestion about moving Motorola into its own dedicated category was really aimed at the upcoming wave of Android devices. It would naturally lighten the load on the current section. brighttiger5, you know better than anyone which direction Motorola is heading, and since you're quite active here, I suspect you'd be the first to agree that this move would provide some much-needed breathing room.

As for everything else... I wish you guys the best of luck with your plans.

Someone mentioned that high-quality posting is the key factor... Well, sure, if you're talking about an organized forum. In a chaotic environment? Not a chance. Personally, I have no desire to pour my best efforts into a sub-forum where chaos reigns and any sense of quality just gets lost in the noise. 😉

Best regards.

Look, Motorola has a handful of models coming, but by the time they actually hit the market, quite a bit of time will have passed. Just look at how things drag on with HTC and LG, or how many posts there are about them, let alone the threads regarding service providers. Even creating a specific PDF section wouldn't solve the issue; we'd just end up with duplicate posts again. It might be better to rename the PDA sub-forum to Navigation, and whatever small amount of PDA devices are left could just move over to other mobile phones. Cafemobil operates on a completely different wavelength—it has a different community entirely. Here, we really need to teach our members how to use the search function and actually check existing threads and rules before they go rushing in to start something new.

Man, even the search function on this American forum isn't working properly. That’s why I’ve been letting it slide when people don't use [Like This] in the subforum titles—there's really no point if you can't even search for them anyway.

Thanks for bearing with me. I just can't moderate an entire subforum on my own (at least not at a high level).

The mobile telephony section is massive. Honestly, if we could somehow split it off from the rest of the main site, it could easily function as its own standalone forum.
So, the issue is actually a bit bigger than it looks on the surface.

And yeah, the real headache comes from all sorts of users, including potential clones who are intentionally breaking the Rules.

We’re going to need at least two more moderators to get some actual balance and oversight over the MTT subforum.

brighttiger5 said:Man, even the search function on this American forum isn't working right now.

Wait, really? Since when? 🤷

brighttiger5 said:Well, even the search function isn't really working properly on this American forum. That’s why I haven't been too bothered when people don't follow the [Like This] formatting rule in certain subforums; if you can't find anything via search anyway, there isn't much point in being strict about it.

I appreciate everyone being understanding here, because I certainly can't manage (at least not at a high standard) the entire subforum all by myself.

The mobile telephony section is massive. If, by some miracle, we were to split it off from the rest of the main American forum, it could easily function as its own standalone community.
So, the issues we're facing are actually a bit more widespread than they might seem at first glance.

And yeah, the real headache comes from various users—including potential clones of existing accounts—who are intentionally flouting the Rules and Regulations.

We’re going to need to bring on at least two more moderators to ensure we have a decent sense of balance and oversight within the MTT subforum.

But what about Um and Setro? To be fair, I haven't noticed much moderator activity from Setro over in the Cars PDF section either (where Stinger and Brazil handle things quite effectively, especially after the era of Vojky & co /no offense intended/)... but 🤷 maybe I'm just blind....

Setra is just old school now; they’re basically a ghost on this forum.
brighttiger5 and Um are the ones running the show as moderators for all of MTT.

Brian Peterson5 said:Look, Motorola has a handful of models, but by the time they actually make it to the US market, quite a bit of time will have passed. Just look at how much HTC and LG drag things out, and see how many posts there are about them, let alone the threads regarding carriers. Even if we made a PDF specifically for Android, it wouldn't solve anything because we'd just end up with duplicate posts again. It might be better to rename the PDA subforum to Navigation, and all those remaining PDA devices could just move over to Other mobile phones. Cafemobil is a completely different beast with a totally different community; our users here really need to learn how to use a search engine and actually check existing threads and the rules before they go opening something new...

I never suggested splitting off Motorola or creating a dedicated PDF just for Android devices. I honestly don't know, but I'm not sure how well you actually understand the sheer volume of Motorola devices and how many of them have even hit the American market...

http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola-phones-4.php

As for the categories, in my opinion, a single category for Motorola or LG deserves its own space far more than the iPhone does. Apple has only released four devices, whereas LG and Motorola have hundreds...

brighttiger5 said:Well, the search function doesn't even work properly on this American forum. That’s why I tolerated people not using the [Like This] format in the subforum for a while, since there was no point in following it if the search is useless...

I appreciate the understanding, as I can't moderate an entire subforum effectively—at least not at a high standard...

Mobile telephony is a massive subforum. If it weren't for some miracle, like separating it from the rest of the main site, it could easily function as its own standalone forum...
So, the issue is somewhat larger in scale than it appears at first glance...

And yes, the diverse range of forum members presents a major challenge, including potential clones who intentionally violate the Rules...

We'll likely need at least two moderators to maintain any kind of balance and oversight within the MTT subforum...

The search works perfectly fine. I don't know what to tell you, but somehow I always manage to find whatever I'm looking for on the forum. I just ran a test in MTT and it works like a charm...

feraltrucker5 said:Is that so? Since when? 🤷

I'm curious too...🙂

Jonathan Morris40 said:The search function seems to be working perfectly fine for me. I honestly can't put my finger on why, but I always manage to track down exactly what I'm looking for on this forum. In fact, I just ran a quick test on my MTT, and it worked smooth as silk.

🙂

The search engine feels a bit like using Yahoo 98, so if that's just how it's supposed to be, then 🤷
well, fine. It’s pretty common knowledge that moderators aren't always online due to their own lives and responsibilities, but if you spot something that shouldn't be there, you can just flag it for hollowtrucker77 or tyndall, and they'll jump on it immediately.
At least, that's how I handle things.
By the way, you two who seem to be the loudest voices here—you're practically campaigning for moderator positions at this point, regardless of what you actually say about it.
Personally, I find that kind of subtle maneuvering quite distasteful, and I suspect I'm not the only one who feels that way.
It would honestly be a disaster if any of you were actually handed moderation duties, especially when there are a few other characters at your level who consider themselves such "experts."
Thanks for listening, and best regards.

William Green4 said:The search function works about as well as Yahoo did back in '98, so if that’s just how things are, then fine. 🤷
Generally speaking, it’s common knowledge that moderators aren't always hovering around due to their own lives outside the screen. If something pops up that shouldn't be there, you can just flag it for hollowtrucker77 or tyndall, and they’ll jump on it right away.
At least, that’s my personal approach to things.
By the way, you two who are making the most noise here seem to be throwing your hats in the ring for moderator positions, regardless of what you actually say about them.
I find that kind of maneuvering quite distasteful, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way.
Personally, I think it would be an absolute disaster if any of you were handed moderation duties, especially since there are a few others at your level—real "experts," if you will.
Thanks for listening, and best regards.

If you take a moment to read hollowtrucker77's post and then look at what brighttiger5 wrote, it's pretty obvious from a bird's-eye view that their perspectives are worlds apart. If we spent all our time reporting every single post to the supermoderators (who manage a much larger number of sub-forums), what would be the actual point of having moderators at all? Besides, if we all acted exactly the way you suggest, I'm certain even the supermods would be completely buried under work and wouldn't be able to react instantly.

As for how moderation works:
1. You don't just "apply" for a moderator role, nor can you lobby or influence the selection process however you please. Usually, new moderators are suggested by current ones (in this case, brighttiger5 or Um), and then the higher-ups (admins or supermods) make the final call on whether that member gets the job.
2. Being a moderator, regardless of how much power it might seem like, comes with significant responsibilities. A mod has to show up on the forum periodically, spending their own time and energy to make sure the experience is smooth for everyone else. On the flip side, regular users tend to drop in whenever they feel like it.
3. My only real goal here is to see the overall quality of the PDF improve. As long as things stay civil, I couldn't care less who becomes a mod or how many of them are active. In the four and a half years I've been part of this community, I haven't had a single issue or disciplinary mark, and I expect it'll stay that way.

I am never going to kiss anyone's feet, no matter the circumstances, and certainly not for the sake of a moderator title...

My apologies, I didn't mean to direct that at you.
I think I'll stop right here, though perhaps I should mention certain keywords—chaos, unmanageable, it ought to be handled—but I consider myself sufficiently knowledgeable on the matter.
Anyone who goes out of their way to attack a moderator would actually make a wonderful mod.
Much like those who have already stepped into those roles.
I’m not talking about that specific PDF.
And yes, this thread was opened with that exact purpose in mind.
Personally, I couldn't care less about the petty squabbles, but that PDF isn't even an issue for the moderation team.
There are plenty of much worse corners on this forum.
And you won't find nearly enough rule violations over there to overwhelm the super mods or admins.
In my view, the PDF mobile phones section is one of the more pleasant areas on this forum, and whenever I messed up back when I had my old username, I received a warning; at least the mods are always prompt, even if they aren't constantly visible.
The staff does a good job, and they should be left alone.
As for why they aren't around all the time, good grief, this isn't some high-paid corporate gig.
I'm just waiting for two more "experts" to start trashing that PDF, and then the whole thing will be a total mess.
Over and out!
Oh, and one more thing: the last thing I want to see in that PDF is someone bowing down and claiming that T-Mobile is by far the best carrier.
We're clear now, right?

Jonathan Morris40 said:I didn't say we should separate Motorola and create a dedicated PDF just for Android devices. I'm honestly not sure how much you realize just how many Motorola models there actually are and how many have made their way through the American market.

http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola-phones-4.php

As for the categories, my take is that a single Motorola or LG model probably deserves its own category more than an iPhone does. Think about it—Apple has only released four devices in this context, whereas LG and Motorola have hundreds.

The search function works perfectly fine for me. I always seem to find whatever I'm looking for on the forum without any trouble. In fact, I just ran a quick test using my MTT, and it performed flawlessly.

And I'm also curious about 🙂

Let me frame the question this way: how many iPhones were sold in the US last year compared to Motorolas? To me, it feels like the number of users and the volume of discussion surrounding a specific brand is the true metric for whether a dedicated PDF exists (at least it has been up until now; if it weren't, we'd probably have one for Siemens too).
In terms of making a real dent in the American market, only Milestone really saw significant results, while the others 👎 but that's really a management oversight. About 80% of all mobile phones are sold through service providers, so a device like the ZN5 would have been a fantastic, budget-friendly option within a typical $33 plan.

@ William Green4, I agree that the MTT PDF is one of the most pleasant ones to read on the forum, but I suspect that’s mainly because the topics are lighter; that doesn't mean there isn't room to make it even better. Personally, I tend to avoid the Economics section regardless of whether it's my field or not, simply because it gets bogged down with political economy, market trends, macroeconomics, and a million other trivialities...

That's all from me...